NTN handover: satellite-to-satellite, satellite-to-terrestrial

Handover Challenges in NTN

Handover in non-terrestrial networks is fundamentally different from terrestrial handover because the cell itself is moving rather than the user. A LEO satellite at 550 km altitude travels at approximately 7.6 km per second, causing its coverage footprint to sweep across the ground at comparable speed. Even a stationary user experiences handover every few minutes as successive satellites pass overhead. This creates a unique scenario where the network must execute mass handovers of thousands of users simultaneously as one satellite set and the next rises. Predictable orbital mechanics enable…